Rural California town on edge after fatal stabbing of 8-year-old girl

Published: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 10:34 a.m. CST

By: Patrick McGreevy and Kate Mather - Los Angeles Times

(MCT) VALLEY SPRINGS, Calif. — In this rural town southeast of Sacramento, distance from urban life and small-town neighborliness leaves many of its 7,500 residents feeling safe. Locals say many residents still don’t lock their doors.

But those feelings of security have been shattered by the killing of an 8-year-old girl this weekend. Authorities have revealed few details about the crime, but local media have reported that the girl’s older brother told detectives an intruder got into the home while their parents were away and fatally stabbed her.

Leila Fowler’s slaying prompted a sweeping manhunt across the rugged terrain of Calaveras County and left residents searching for answers.

“We are trying to figure out who would do such a horrible thing,” Keith Ashlock said during his lunch break Monday. “Things like that just don’t happen here.”

With no arrest made, he added, “everybody is looking at everybody else and wondering whether they know something.”

An autopsy Monday showed Leila died of shock and hemorrhaging due to multiple stab wounds, Calaveras County Coroner Kevin Raggio said in an interview.

Authorities have scoured the rural Sierra foothill community, combing tall grass and searching attics and outbuildings for any sign of the killer. Investigators reportedly gathered fingerprints and possible DNA from the home. The California attorney general’s office and state Department of Justice have “prioritized the processing of the evidence,” a sheriff’s statement said Monday.

Meanwhile, family members including the slain girl’s father, Barney Fowler, tied pink and purple ribbons on posts in the downtown area late Monday to commemorate the child. “They were her favorite colors” the father said.

Barney Fowler decline to discuss details of the case at this time. “This is a very emotional time for us right now,” he said.

The girl and her 12-year-old brother were at the home Saturday when her brother heard an intruder, The Modesto Bee reported. He told investigators he saw a man, who fled on foot, before discovering his sister with what sheriff’s Capt. Jim Macedo described as “severe injuries.”

He called their parents, who Macedo said were at a “public event” nearby, and then called 911, The Bee reported. The parents also called 911.

Leila was rushed to an area hospital, where Raggio said she was pronounced dead.

Multiple agencies have joined the effort, Macedo said, and the sheriff’s department has been in contact with the FBI. Detectives conducted follow-up interviews with witnesses and Leila’s family, and are pursuing tips, including some from outside the county.

The sheriff’s department initially described the suspect as a muscular white or Hispanic man about 6 feet tall, last see wearing a black long-sleeved shirt and blue pants. But Macedo said Sunday they had received three separate suspect descriptions with some inconsistencies, and had no “specific suspect.”

As questions remained, the sleepy community stepped up security.

Extra patrols were on hand Monday at Leila’s elementary school and area bus stops. A reverse 911 call warned residents to lock their doors and remain vigilant. One woman called police after she saw a man with long grey hair wearing clothes similar to a homeless person at a shopping center in town.

On Rippon Road, where the Fowler family lives, neighbors were particularly uneasy. Basketball hoops and tree swings dotted front yards along the cracked street, where residents say kids are always walking, biking or skateboarding.

Gail Kienitz said her grandchildren would play basketball with Leila, whom she described as “sweet and quiet.” “I can’t even let my kids play outside anymore,” she said.

“There are no words to describe how I feel,” Kienitz said. “This neighborhood is generally safe. Everybody knows everybody.”

Lauretta Wanhala described the neighborhood as quiet and safe. “Ninety-five percent of the people here don’t lock their doors,” she said.